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The 52 project originated as a life-changing year of poetry prompts, published on this site by Jo Bell in the 52 weeks between January 1st 2014 and January 1st 2015.

Now Jo’s prompts – together with ten written by guest poets including Helen Mort, Philip Gross and Neil Rollinson – are available in a single chunky book from Nine Arches Press. It’s an anthology too, with each prompt supported by poems ranging from John Donne and Edward Thomas to contemporary poets like Kei Miller and Sharon Olds.

Who is the book for? Anyone who writes poetry, at any level. Beginners will find a rich wealth of advice and illustrative poems; experienced poets will find material to refresh their practice; and all will find heart-stopping new poems to show how poetry can move, shock and touch us. The first blog (and now, the first chapter in our book) has been re-published here to give you a flavour of the book.

You can read an interview with Jo Bell about the book here. Order it here to start your own 52-week challenge in 2016, or dip in and out of it for inspiration in coming years.

If you’re on Twitter, follow @52poetry for lots of poetry giveaways in the run-up to Christmas, and for news of workshops and events in 2016.

[This is the first post of Jo Bell’s 52 project, which ran for the 52 weeks of 2014 and is now a book published by Nine Arches Press. We’ve made this one available again as a taster of what’s to come… buy the book here or follow @52poetry on Twitter to see extracts and poems taken from it.]

Are you sitting comfortably? Never mind. Let’s begin anyway. Welcome to 52, a weekly kick in the arse for your Muse. Bookmark us or follow us – there will be guest blogs from big names and unexpected sources; prompts, discussions and projects.

What is poetry for? Everything. Every damn thing. Poetry can tell us how to live, question how we live, remind us how we choose to live. You may be here because you have committed to writing one poem a week for the whole year. But if you haven’t – or if you fall off the waggon now and then – that’s fine. Just drop in now and then; you’re always welcome. Leave a comment, offer up favourite poems on the theme.

But mostly – give yourself just an hour a week to write, at least. And an hour a week to read others’ poetry, at least.

This week our idea, our theme, our suggestion is – how to approach a year. Those of you who expected JOY as a theme – that’s in here too. First, listen to this quiet little celebration from Derek Mahon, or read it here. Now brace yourselves and read this riotous piece.

You don’t have to like either of these pieces to see what they mean. So roll up your sleeves. Sit down and write in this spirit – about how you are going to tackle 2014.

52 is NOT about writing half-assed workshop-standard poetry. Write the very best you can. Push yourself. Use your poetry to help you work out what you think about the world, or to express the truths you hold self-evident. Take risks. It’s only paper, you know.